CCTV reporters were detained as hostages in the field investigation. What made village cadres so frightened？
CCTV News:Not long ago, the local people in Hongdong County, Shanxi Province reported that there was a listed company named Sanwei Group in Hongdong County, which had been illegally dumping industrial waste residue, polluting farmland, and the wastewater from production was directly discharged into Fenhe River, posing a threat to the lives of people in villages along the way. CCTV reporters went to Hongtong County to investigate.
Shanxi Sanwei Group is a large state-owned chemical enterprise and a listed company. It was once rated as one of the 36 advantageous enterprises in Shanxi Province. As soon as I arrived here, the reporter found a strange phenomenon. Among the trucks that normally transport goods, there were some vehicles covered with dirt. The reporter followed the empty car into the factory. More than 200 meters away from the gate, the reporter saw trucks lined up, waiting to be loaded under a huge device. What they loaded was a dark gray industrial waste residue with a pungent smell.
After passing through several villages, about 2 kilometers away from the three-dimensional group factory, the big truck drove into a yard. Go straight to the deepest part of the yard. A whole vehicle of white industrial waste residue was dumped in a huge pit, and gray and white industrial waste residue rolled down to the bottom of the pit along the position where the truck stopped. This is a huge pit, there are two football fields with a large area, and the height difference is about 30 meters. The industrial waste residue that has just been dumped has a stronger and more pungent taste here.
According to the public information on the Internet, Sanwei Group is an enterprise that produces hundreds of chemical products such as polyvinyl alcohol, adhesives, benzene and coke. The gray-black powder being dumped is fly ash, while the gray-white thing is carbide slag.
China’s Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste clearly stipulates that solid waste shall not be dumped or piled up without authorization, and measures shall be taken to prevent or reduce the environmental pollution caused by solid waste. So, has this three-dimensional group in Hongtong County taken measures as stipulated by law? What impact will such dumping have on the local environment?
Article 16 of China’s Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste stipulates that units and individuals that produce solid waste shall take measures to prevent or reduce environmental pollution by solid waste; Article 17 stipulates that units and individuals that collect, store, transport, utilize and dispose of solid waste must take measures to prevent scattering, loss, leakage or other environmental pollution; Do not dump, pile up, discard or scatter solid waste without authorization.
Calcium carbide slag and fly ash belong to the category of industrial solid waste, which will not only drift with the wind, but also affect the air. Once washed by rain, they will easily penetrate underground, causing secondary pollution to groundwater and soil. At the same time, carbide slag is a strong alkaline substance, which has stimulating and corrosive effects. Inhalation of dust has strong irritation to human respiratory tract and eyes, and may even cause pneumonia and burns. These two kinds of industrial solid wastes need to be stored in a special storage yard and managed strictly.
However, the reporter’s investigation found that there was no corresponding impervious layer at the bottom of this pit. Industrial waste residue was dumped in a big pit, and then "disguised" into a new slag yard, and the industrial waste residue buried underground became an unknown "secret". On the other side of this pit, the distance less than 100 meters is Xinzhuang Village, Zhaocheng Town, Hongtong County. According to the villagers in Xinzhuang village, this pit was dug a few years ago, and the largest amount was dug last year.
Xinzhuang Village, Zhaocheng Town, Hongdong County, has a land area of less than one mu per capita, and farmland is scattered on the loess high slope with ravines. It is the season of wheat growth, but the reporter saw that only a few centimeters high buds just broke through the ground, but they were covered with a layer of black powder.
【 Consequence 】 Farmland polluted crops can’t live
Today, with the country’s efforts to improve environmental protection and create green mountains and green rivers, a listed company has been so unscrupulous in stealing and dumping industrial waste, and the number is amazing. With the deepening of the investigation, the reporter found that the pollution of the three-dimensional group is far more than dumping industrial waste at will.
This is Xigou Village, Zhaocheng Town, Hongtong County. The villagers told reporters that they were almost overwhelmed by pollution and the natural environment was seriously damaged. The reporter photographed a group of pictures in the air with an aerial camera. On the picture, this gully from east to west has no original color, and it has been replaced by gray waste residue all over the mountains.
According to the villagers’ memories, although the land here is not fertile, most crops are growing well, but now they are surprised to find that many crops that could have been planted alive can no longer live.
The villagers told reporters that the pollution of the three-dimensional group not only appeared in the dumping of industrial waste residue, but also the random discharge of industrial wastewater from this enterprise without treatment was even more shocking. Under the guidance of a villager, the reporter came to the bank of Fenhe River, and finally found a hidden sewage outlet after several turns. As soon as I arrived here, the reporter saw that the thick white industrial wastewater flowed out of the pipeline continuously, and with the pungent smell, the sewage changed color from time to time. White is pungent, while black is full of stench.
The sewage outlet is buried underground. Why are the villagers so sure that the sewage is discharged by the three-dimensional group? It turned out that just a few years ago, the sewage pipes buried in the ground by enterprises were old and damaged, and industrial wastewater directly spilled into the villagers’ farmland, causing the crops in the field to die and the farmland could no longer be cultivated. After the incident, 3D Group also organized personnel to repair the pipeline.
[accomplice] Village cadres blocked reporters’ investigation
Just as the reporter was preparing for an in-depth investigation, several people who claimed to be village cadres in Guli stopped the reporter’s way. Two village cadres in Gouli village mistakenly thought that the reporter was a staff member of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, but they did not converge. When the reporter mentioned that there was sewage discharge by the Fenhe River, two village cadres wanted to hold the reporter hostage.
Under the stalemate, the reporter had to call the police for help, and under the escort of the police, the reporter was finally able to leave. During the investigation, many villagers in Zhaocheng Town, Hongdong County told reporters that the reason why Sanwei Group dared to destroy the crops and dump the industrial waste directly in the village was because the village cadres and Sanwei Group negotiated privately and dumped these industrial waste in the village by way of contracting to seek benefits, while the opposing villagers were warned lightly and suffered from sticks, and the villagers could only swallow their voices.
[Supervision] The local environmental protection bureau does not act as a laissez-faire enterprise to discharge pollutants
In 2017, the Ministry of Environmental Protection sent eight inspection teams to inspect 13 cities, among which Sanwei Group was one of the inspected objects. However, after the inspection, the pollution of Sanwei Group not only did not stop, but became more and more rampant. So what is the attitude of the local environmental protection department towards such illegal enterprises?
Deputy Director of Hongtong County Environmental Protection Bureau
On March 19th, the reporter came to the Environmental Protection Bureau of Hongtong County, Shanxi Province, and reported on the scene that 3D Group dumped industrial waste residue and directly discharged untreated industrial wastewater into Fenhe River. When the reporter asked if there was a storage site for industrial solid waste in Xinzhuang village, the staff member was always vague and said it was not clear. In order to find out the facts, the reporter then went to the office of the deputy director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of Hongtong County. The deputy director of Hongdong County Environmental Protection Bureau said that he was very clear about the dumping of industrial waste residue into the village by Sanwei Group. Because the village Committee cadres took the money and had an agreement, Hongdong County Environmental Protection Bureau should not intervene.
[Progress] The detention of two village cadres is under investigation.
Listed companies illegally discharge pollutants, village cadres pay money to guard the hospital, and local environmental protection departments ignore corporate violations. This scene in Hongtong County has reached an absurd level. With the increasingly serious pollution, it is the surrounding villagers who suffer.
Last night, after the CCTV report was broadcast, Shanxi Provincial Environmental Protection Department rushed to the scene to conduct on-the-spot investigation, and Linfen City set up a criminal investigation task force. At present, two village cadres have been administratively detained for 15 days according to law. The other six parties involved in the report are being verified, and other relevant information is being further investigated.
[Comment] Only by destroying the umbrella can we return the green mountains and green rivers to the people.
On February 5th this year, the general offices of the General Office of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council issued the Three-year Action Plan for Renovating Rural Human Settlements, which clearly emphasized that improving rural human settlements is related to building a well-off society in an all-round way, the fundamental well-being of farmers and the civilization and harmony of rural society.
A harmonious and beautiful new countryside cannot be realized in Gouli Village without investigating polluting enterprises, destroying umbrellas and dealing with unqualified cadres. We hope that the local government can implement the policies of the central government, implement the laws of the country, perform its duties and give the people a satisfactory answer.